Conference Season Updates

It’s conference season! The last few weeks have been busy with the latest start-up conferences and a social media conference, which is in there for good measure.

Start-ups face a dilemma because these conferences are often expensive, but they are also where investors actively hang out. ? ?

With crowdfunding, we frequently do a blended campaign, with some larger and smaller investors, when we raise larger amounts. That way, you get the best of both worlds and have a great network ready for your next raise when you are ready to grow again. Conferences like these allow us to see what the larger investors are currently looking for and ensure our clients are investment-ready for the next round.? ?

From Plug & Play, Thrive SVG and Inventure$, we saw many impressive companies doing great things and solving some serious problems. Inventure$ as ever, took us to the edge of what is going on, with Ameca the most advanced android robot interviewed by Alberta Innovates CEO, then interviewing the CEO, and then Q&A from the floor. ? ?

Change can be tough for some people, but I think the thing that unites entrepreneurs is our ability to embrace change and find opportunities. Seeing Ameca in action and working with clients who are using AI and LLMs (large language models) shows the possibilities to improve accuracy and support humans by removing the more mundane tasks or ones where there is more data than a human brain can easily process. That’s probably why so much investment money is going into AI now.? ?

At SocialWest, I spoke about social media in regulated industries, which, of course, included regulation crowdfunding. In the talk, we covered the differences between Canada, the US and the UK. Canada focuses on transparency and fairness but doesn’t really give clear guidance. The US provides partial guidance, focusing on accurate and fair representation. The UK’s regulations are detailed and clear, ensuring transparency and investor protection.? ? With all social media or any equity crowdfunding communication, I actually think there is one word I would use to guide you – Commonsense!?

• Don’t say anything you cannot back up, include the links to third party sources for external data and where possible use third party metrics to validate internal data.?
• In Canada, always link to your offering or campaign page. All the information should be there to allow investors to make an informed decision and access all the legally required documentation.?
• Be super careful with buzzwords. They may help with SEO but can sometimes be fluffy and have little or limited meaning. Saying that, if your superpower is something like eco-friendly, then shout it from the rooftops and provide that backup. You always need to say what differentiates you from the competition.?
• Often, we think a social media post's value is gone in 24 hours. In crowdfunding, we recommend keeping posts for 7 years so that there is a record of all that you said to your investors. This speaks to the transparency of crowdfunding and why we love to support companies considering crowdfunding for their business.